MMDA to dispose of rotting license plates

ABS-CBN News

MANILA - The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority is planning to dispose of 22,628 confiscated vehicle license plates since 1994.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said the plates may be sold as souvenirs or melted to build boats.

"In other countries, old vehicle plates are recycled and sold as souvenirs. We can also have them melted down to build boats," he said.

Tolentino said they will ask the courts and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) what to do with the license plates since most of them have already been used as evidence in criminal cases.

He said the plates are already rotting at the MMDA’s redemption office. If piled up, the plates could reach as high as an eight-story building, he said.

“You would wonder why these plates were not claimed over the years. It only shows unscrupulous motorists might have used fake ones, or manage to have it replaced simply by having an affidavit of loss,” Tolentino said.

Many of these plates were confiscated from motorists who committed serious traffic violations such as colorum and out-of-line, driving without license, illegal parking, reckless driving and fake driver’s license.

Of the 22,628, illegal parking constituted the most number of traffic violations, with 4,595; followed by reckless driving, 4,017; unregistered vehicles, 3,238; out of line, 2,757; and colorum, 2,184.